Tag: blockchain

Hello and welcome to your weekly FWD. 

This week you can drop it like it’s… a bitcoin, as the likes of Snoop Dogg gather for Blockchain Week to discuss crypto and the future of digital payments. Facebook’s jumping on the bandwagon with their own cryptocurrency,where you’ll be one click away from buying that celeb-status product straight from an ad that you really don’t need. Just don’t Google it – the Silicon Valley giant isn’t totally on board.

As you start to hit your ‘new’ button on Outlook, do so with the optimism that soon enough programs like Gmail could write your emails for you using AI to ‘smart compose’ messages. Let’s just hope auto-correct is on the ball with this one.  

HEADLINES

• All the news from Google’s 2018 I/O Keynote
• Instagram is set to add in call to action buttons for booking appointments, tickets and DMs alongside and Emoji Slider and Music Stickers
• Twitter looks to take on Telegram and others with DMs with end to end encryption
• Facebook has announced a restructure and could be launching their own cryptocurrency

INSIGHTS

• An inside look at the world of Esports
• A Harvard Business Review study has been studying the effect ad transparency and knowledge of targeting has on effectiveness. For those with an academic oeuvre and a lot of spare time the full study is here.
• The top 100 most shared brands in images on Instagram and Twitter

COOL

• Snapchat dating show Phone Swap makes move from small screen to TV
• #LetMeTalk, a celebrity led campaign uses silence on social to highlight the help with mental health
• The first ‘human free’ robot bank launches in Shanghai

DEEP READS

• What do AI and Blockchain mean for the rule of law

How brands are turning to virtual influencers but they must still to take safety seriously and protect themselves from rights challenges

As always, please share anything you find interesting using #OMDFWD

Hello and welcome to your weekly FWD. Last week over 70,000 people including OMDers descended on Austin, Texas for SXSW. Celebrating the convergence of the interactive, film and music industries, fostering creative and professional growth; we bring you extensive coverage from the front-lines. On the OMD EMEA blog you can find downloads from OMD’s Chrissie Hanson and Mark Murray Jones, including daily recaps discussing everything from voiceprints and storytelling to neuroscience and AI. OMD USA’s Doug Rozen and Dario Raciti also took to the stage to discuss the future of entertainment brands and unlocking the potential of VR.

If that wasn’t enough to whet your SXSW appetite, here is a round-up of some of the coolest experiential events at SXSW and more on the blockchain revolution that swept through Austin.

HEADLINES

• On April 3^rd Spotify will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange, as it tests native voice search and its self-serve ad platform in the UK
• YouTube is going to add information from Wikipedia to videos and adds Search based targeting to its Google Preferred offering
• This Summer Facebook is launching a dedicated News section for Watch

INSIGHTS

• Here’s a roundup of some of the coolest experiential events at SXSW and hype around the blockchain revolution
• Internal documents have revealed viewership numbers for Amazon Prime Video
• A PWC report looks at changing consumer behaviour within ecommerce

COOL

• PGA Tour launched a new augmented reality app for golf fans
• Knorr is using your Instagram posts to deliver personalised recipes with its “Eat Your Feed” tool
• Watch JFK’s final speech brought to life through the power of AI

DEEP READS

• How Facebook’s Augmented Reality offering improved
• The BBC takes a fresh look at its Instagram approach, posting less frequently and more relevantly to increase its numbers
• How Amazon transformed from a 20% drop in shares in 2014, to becoming 4^th most valuable company in 2018

As always, please share anything you find interesting using #OMDFWD!